Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application File R. 3820, John Frye, Mass.

SERVICE
NUMBER
Mass
Frye, John
R. 3820
CONTENTS

Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress, passed June 7 th , 1832.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. County of Essex ss.
On this seventeenth day of April in the year of our Lord 1837, personally appeared before the Honorable David Cummings one of the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, JOHN FRYE, a resident of Andover in the County of Essex and State of Massachusetts aged 82 years, who being first duly sworn according to law, with an oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the Act of Congress passed June 7 th 1832:
That he entered the service of the United States, sometime in the latter part of August A.D. 1776, as a private soldier, and served three months in Captain John Abbotts Company and Col. Coyswells Regiment. Jonathan Abbot and James Mallon were the first and second Lieutenants of said Company. About the first of September A.D. 1776, he started for Fairfield in the State of Connecticut, being the place said Company was ordered to. He staid at said Fairfield and served in said Company there about six weeks, the Company being employed in guarding the Coast and in any other service that was needed. From Fairfield he marched with said Company through the State of Connecticut into the State of New York, where he did not stay long in any one place, but moved from place to place, as the services of the Company aforesaid were required. At the Town of Rye in the State of New York, the Company he belonged to, being at some distance from the main body of the Army, was fired upon by a party of the Enemy of about three hundred, who discharged two

field pieces at the Company, the balls struck the ground near the place where he stood. The alarm was given and the Enemy retreated immediately and before the main body could come up, but said Company captured two of the British soldiers who had left their party and entered a house for the sake of plunder. After he had served three months, he with others of the Company remained four days or more longer at the urgent request of the Officers of said Company. He returned to Andover sometime in the early part of December, he can not state the day precisely, having served at this time three months and four days at least.
He further declares that sometime in the latter part of August in the year of our Lord 1777, he enlisted again as a private soldier in Captain John Adams Company and Colonel Bricketts Regiment, and marched immediately with said Company to join the Army under General Gates. The Company marched through Northampton and Hadley and from thence to Bennington in the State of Vermont where he arrived soon after the Battle of Bennington which took place August 16 th 1777. He saw there many unburied bodies of those who were slain in the Battle. After staying a day and a night at Bennington he marched to Battenkill, and thence to Saratoga in the State of New York, and while there saw the Surrender of Gen. Burgoyne which took place on the seventeenth day of October 1777. He there marched with the troops that conducted the prisoners that were taken at Saratoga, to Cambridge in the State of Massachusetts. They were delayed in their march to Cambridge at Northampton from Sunday to the Saturday following, by a violent storm of snow and rain. After that he marched to Cambridge, and about the last day of November 1777 was discharged and returned to Andover having served at this time a period of three months.
He further declares that he was born in said Andover, and was a resident there at the time of entering the service above stated.

and has been ever since that period. He further declared that he has no documentary evidence to prove his service.
He further states that he served on both the above stated tours as a volunteer.
He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity, except the present, and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of the agency of any state.
Sept 12 1842
Sworn to and subscribed, the day and year aforesaid, before me; and I certify that John Frye by reason of bodily infirmity is unable to appear in Court.
Darius Cummins Jus. C. C. P.
We Bailey Loring a clergyman residing in Andover aforesaid and Samuel Merrill Esquire, a magistrate, residing in Andover aforesaid, do hereby certify that we are well acquainted with John Frye who has subscribed and sworn to the above declaration, that we believe him to be eighty two years of age; that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resided to have been a soldier of the Revolution, and that we concur in that opinion.
Bailey Loring Samuel Merrill
Subscribed and sworn to before me
Darius Cummins Jus. C. C. P.
And the said Court hereby declares its opinion, after the investigation of the matter, and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department; that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier, and served as he states. And the Court further certifies that Bailey Loring who has signed the preceding Certificate, is a clergyman resident in Andover and that the said

Samuel Mcvitt who has also signed the same is a Magistrate resident at Endover and is a credible person and that their statement is entitled to credit.
David Cummins for C. C. P.

Received of Mr. J. Merrill May 24, 1877 for balance of account the sum of 17.00
W. S. 73 June 1912

June 10. 1897- History to Mr. Sidney E. Bell North Leominster, Mass (see Inv. 17-274)
Acts of July 14, 1862, and March 3, 1873.
REJECTED
3820
P. O. _____
Service: _____
Enlisted: _____, 18
Discharged: _____, 18
Application filed: _____, 18
Alleges: _____
Re-enlisted: _____
Attorney: _____
P. O. _____
_____ Recognized. _____ Contract
_____ Cert. of Dis. Searched for _____, 18

John Frye —
Application for a Pension under the Act of June 1832.
Rolls - vol. 17. page 13.
1 mo. 900 per
3820
Please direct to Samuel Merrill Esq. South Andover Massachusetts. —

I John Barker of Andover in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts aged about eighty four years do hereby testify and say that I am and for more than sixty five years last past have been acquainted with Mr. John Frye of said Andover - I served in the war of the Revolution in Capt. John Adams's Company and Colonel Brickett's Regiment in the Massachusetts line, and was at the taking of General Burgoyne on the 17th day of October A.D. 1777. The company to which I belonged joined the army under General Gates sometime in the fore part of October of that year - Said Frye joined the army before I did - Immediately after joining the army, as above stated, I saw and said Frye, and saw him frequently, & know that he served there in Capt. John Adams's Company and Col. Brickett's Regiment, it being the same Regiment that I belonged to. After the capture of Burgoyne, we marched for Boston, as far as Cambridge, with him - I often saw and said Frye & conversed with him from the time that I joined the main body of the army, as above expressed, until we arrived at Cambridge, where we were discharged sometime in the latter part of November following. Said Frye was one of the three months men, as they were called, and I have no doubt he served the term of three months on the above occasion - I further say that I always understood that said Frye served one tour the year before in the Army in the State of New York, and hereby believe he did; but of this I have no positive knowledge.
John Barker
Sarah Dodge
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Essex ss: March 8th 1837 - Personally appeared John Barker, above-named, whom I certify to be a disinterested and credible witness and made oath to the truth of the above affidavit by him signed before me Samuel Merrill Jus: Peace

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Essex ss.
John Prince Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in said County do certify that Hon. David Cumming is a Judge of said Court & that Samuel Merrill is a Justice of the Peace in said County & that their signatures hereon are genuine.
Witness my hand & the seal of said Court April 20. 1837.
John Prince Clk

I John Barnard of Andover in the County of Essex & Commonwealth- wealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy seven years the 20th day of this present month April A.D. 1837, depose and say that about the first day of September A.D. 1777 I enlisted as a private Soldier in the war of the Revolution in Capt Adams's Company; I do not now recollect the name of the Colonel of the Regiment to which said Company belonged, Lieut. Marble was the Lieut of said Company, and we im- mediately after marched to join the Army under General Gates, and I served there till after the surrender of General Burgoyne and then, & then marched with the troops who had charge of the Hessians in order to conduct them to Boston, as far as to Hartford, and there I left and returned home on horseback, having received an injury to my left side, which made it difficult for me to march - I was then and ever since have been well acquainted with John Frye of Andover, who is still liv- ing, and I know that he served as a Private on the above tour all the time that I did - and have always understood and vividly believe that said Frye contined with the troops after I left, as above stated, and marched with them to Cambridge. Our Company under Capt. Adams served on the above tour at least three months & I should think a little more
John Barnard

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Essex ss: April 14 - 1837. Personally appeared John Barnard whom I certify to be a disinterested and credible wit- ness, and made oath to the truth of the foregoing deposition by him subscribed before me. Samuel Merrill Justice of Peace.

I John L. Abbot of Andover in the County of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Esquire, aged about eighty years depose and say that about the first day of September A.D. 1776 - I enlisted as a private Soldier in the War of the Revolution in Capt John Abbot's Company and Col. Cogswell's Regiment for the term of three months, and started for Fairfield in the State of Connecticut, the place where we were directed to go. We stayed a month or six weeks, I should think at Fairfield, and were employed in guarding the coast, and performing such services as were needed, and after that marched towards New York through Rye New Rochelle & Marinck as far, as the saw pits. I well recollect that at the request of General Washington, we stayed 4 days longer, after having served out the term for which we enlisted, viz. three months, and were then discharged and came home, having served four days more than three months - I was then and ever since have been acquainted with John Frye of said Andover, and know that he served in the same Company with myself during the whole period above named, as a private.
John L. Abbot
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Essex ss. - April 4th 1837. Personally appeared John L. Abbot above named, whom I certify to be a disinterested and credible witness, and made oath to the truth of the above affidavit by him subscribed before me.
Samuel Merrill, Justice of Peace.

Dear Sir,
Will you do me the favour to read the enclosed and send me the information it seeks.
If any instructions are necessary to enable the parties to prepare their claim (if they have one) be so good also to send them to me, I presume they are in print. Return the enclosed Oblige'd Yrs very Resp'y H. May 12 May 58
Yrs
R. Childers
Comm'r of Pensions